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LEBANON "permitted" Hezbollah to use its territory ahead of the Shiite militia's war on Israel in July-August, a senior counter-terrorism aide to US President George W. Bush said today. "Lebanon permitted the use by Hezbollah of their territory, and Hezbollah used that territory to provoke Israel with the kidnapping of two soldiers," said Mr Bush's homeland security and counter-terrorism adviser Fran Townsend.In the past, US officials from Mr Bush on down have said that Hezbollah declared war on Israel "without the knowledge" of the government in Beirut, and stressed that Beirut simply lacked the power to evict the militia. "Was the Lebanese Government complicit? No. But the Lebanese Government had to have known that Hezbollah controlled a large portion of their sovereign territory and engaged in this type of behavior," a senior White House official on condition he not be named.